Monday, 2 January 2017

Dell embraces the two-in-one trend with new XPS 13 convertible

LAS VEGAS—Dell kicked off CES 2017 by adding a some flexibility to one of its most popular notebooks. The company announced the new Dell XPS 13 two-in-one, which takes everything good about the latest Dell XPS 13 notebook and puts it into a convertible design. According to Dell, the priority with this new convertible (as well as the rest of its two-in-one notebooks) was to make a device that could perform well in tablet, tent, and other modes, but that didn't lose the practicality and functionality of a regular laptop.

The cosmetic differences between the new XPS 13 convertible and Dell's original notebook aren't glaring, but they are important. Most noticeable is the new hinge connecting the display to the keyboard deck. Using two geometric attachments, the display is able to flip backwards and lie nearly flat against the back of the keyboard deck. There is space in between the two panels, making it look less seamless than a device like Lenovo's Yoga Book. Also, the display panel and the keyboard deck are not the same length, which makes the keyboard deck jut out slightly more than the lid when in tablet mode.